Painting a room is always an easy and cost-effective way of sprucing up a home. Take things to the next level by painting vertical stripes on the wall of your entryway to add interest or in your child’s room for a little whimsy. In fact, painted stripes can take any space from sophisticated to playful, or anything in between.

The key to a successful striped paint job is preparation and this video walks you through all the steps to get the job done right the first time. You’ll also learn all sorts of useful tips like sketching the room on graph paper first to help visualize the final pattern and creating a sample board with your design drawn to scale to avoid putting valuable time and energy into a project that you won’t like in the end. The video also provides a list of tools and equipment you’ll need to get started like paint, brushes, a level, measuring tape, graph paper and a drop cloth. Whether you’re taking on a straight forward painting job or trying out a special paint technique, our expert Forum associates on the How-To Community Forum are always here to help. And don’t forget to check out homedepot.com for all your painting supplies.